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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27292903">the heart that you call home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/blondsak/pseuds/blondsak'>blondsak</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Comic Book Science, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, I really hope y'all like it though because I LOVE it, No editing we die like mne, Other: See Story Notes, POV Outsider, Protective Older Brothers, Protective Tony Stark, Supernatural Elements, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, Whump, defenestration of canon as per usual, here have a little spooky tale as a treat, seriously though please read the beginning notes they are important, this is me back on my weird BS you guys</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:14:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,337</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27292903</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/blondsak/pseuds/blondsak</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I haven’t seen your brother, sorry kid. And my name is Tony. What’s yours?”</p><p>Luke hesitates, considering lying. But the man is shackled just like Luke is, so surely he’s not a bad guy, right?</p><p>“Luke,” he finally says. “So do you know what’s going on?”</p><p>Tony doesn't reply right away, instead taking a few long moments to eye the unconscious, bleeding man who by now has started to slightly wheeze, every breath sounding wet. He turns back to Luke. “What do you remember?”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Peter Parker &amp; Tony Stark, Peter Parker &amp; Tony Stark &amp; Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>155</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the heart that you call home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi all. I... don't even know what to say about this one except that it's maybe my weirdest story yet, and that I'm insanely proud of it. </p><p>It's also one that contains certain themes and elements that might be slightly disturbing to some. If you want to know what those themes and elements are before you read, please check out the end notes. If you'd rather go in without any spoilers, read on.</p><p>I hope you all enjoy this spooky, bittersweet tale!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> Where did Daniel go?</em>
</p><p><em> He was </em> just <em> here! You just had him right by you, you doofus. Why the hell did you let him run off? It’s dangerous out here. He could've fallen into the river, or through some rotted planks, or– </em></p><p>
  <em> Daniel? Daniel! Oh, thank god. I can hear him—he’s close. But he’s yelling—why is he yelling? No, he’s screaming—screaming my name! </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Daniel! Daniel, what’s– </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Hey! Get the fuck away from my brother, you asshole! Let him go! Daniel, run! Run, Dan-Man—go home, now!  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> That’s right you shitstain, you touch my little brother again and I’ll– </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Shit… that, that hurts… what the hell, why… shit, I’m… I’m... </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Don’t hurt my brother, don’t… </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Daniel... </em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Luke wakes to the sight of fading sunlight in a cavernous, damp-smelling room.</p><p>“Daniel?” he says—or tries to, his tongue feels oddly heavy—as he blinks away his blurry vision only for a pounding to start in his head. He closes his eyes tight, trying to push away the feeling of nausea in his gut. Only once his stomach feels mostly settled does he try again.</p><p>He’s in an old warehouse, down by the docks by the looks of it. He’s seated against a wall with his legs splayed out in front of him, and his hands hanging above his head. He glances up to see his wrists are shackled. Panicking, Luke tries to pull at them with his arms but there’s no give, and it doesn’t take long for him to be able to tell they’re not regular shackles—some type of digital screen on them with a small number pad, sort of like the calculators they use in Mrs. Abdullahi’s class. </p><p>Taking a deep breath in an effort not to let his panic get the worst of him, Luke takes another look around the large room. While it is definitely one of the old dock warehouses, it’s not empty like the ones he’s seen before. </p><p>Situated not ten feet away from him is some kind of giant futuristic machine. It looks almost like a mainframe for a computer, only it has some sort of weird tentacles coming out from the top—one which snakes out toward Luke. Its dome-like end lies just feet away from his hip. Then there’s another one which snakes out toward–</p><p>“Hey!” Luke yells to the man in a black trenchcoat lying on his stomach in a puddle of blood about next to the machine, face turned away from Luke. “Hey! Wake up! Dude, wake up!”</p><p>Luke calls out a few more times but the man doesn’t stir, and the teen can only guess he’s been knocked unconscious. Maybe it has something to do with how the dome-end of the tentacle—some sort of helmet, it seems—is over his head? </p><p>Whatever happened, the large machine seems to be powered off at the moment, or maybe even totally fried if the small tendrils of smoke that are coming out from the top are any indication.</p><p>Luke wonders then if the man was electrocuted, and that’s why he’s unconscious. Though he is also bleeding a lot. Either way, Luke <em> really </em>hopes he’s not dead, if only because he might be the only person who can free him…unless he’s the one who trapped Luke in the first place.</p><p>Once again Luke’s thoughts race back to his brother. The last thing Luke remembered was fighting against a man in one of the dock’s alleys who had been carrying his brother against his will—obviously trying to kidnap him. Luke’s pretty certain Daniel got away, but then the asshole must have knocked him out or something because after that, there’s nothing.</p><p>Luke eyes the man in the trenchcoat again with more scrutiny. God, what if this is the same man who tried to take his brother, and now he has Luke? They don’t really look the same to Luke, but then the man could have changed clothes, and with his face turned away Luke can’t see his features. Luke bites his lip nervously when he notices the puddle of blood below the man is growing.</p><p>He’s suddenly very, very thankful that Daniel doesn’t seem to be here. He must have gotten away, Like thinks—he had to have. And if he did then that means he would have gone straight home, just like Ma and Luke taught him to if anyone ever tried to mess with him. And <em> that </em>means he would have told Ma what happened, which hopefully means help is coming. </p><p>That has to be what’s happening, Luke tells himself. Help is coming. He just has to wait a little bit longer. </p><p>The pounding in his head suddenly starts to increase, Luke closing his eyes as blood rushes through his ears.</p><p>The pain seems to dull down a little bit just as there’s a sudden moan to Luke’s right, and he whips his head around only to see yet another man—this one in jeans and an oil-stained t-shirt, and also shackled to the wall in a similar position to Luke. There’s a trickle of blood running down his face and into his goatee from what looks like a large cut by his temple, but unlike the trenchcoat guy he’s at least starting to wake up.</p><p>“Hey! Hey man!” Luke calls out, watching as the man’s eyes blink open. He looks around dazedly, before his eyes go wide and he turns to Luke.</p><p>“Kid? You okay?”</p><p>“I think so, mostly anyway,” Luke answers honestly, watching as the man takes a deep breath, looking relieved. His expression abruptly changes however when Luke adds, “Have you seen my brother? And who are you?”</p><p>The man takes a deep breath before puffing out his cheeks and letting out a long sigh. He looks far more troubled now, but he meets Luke’s gaze head-on when he replies, “I haven’t seen your brother, sorry kid. My name is Tony. What’s yours?”</p><p>Luke hesitates, considering lying. But the man is shackled just like Luke is, so surely he’s not a bad guy, right?</p><p>“Luke,” he finally replies, watching as Tony gives him a tight nod of acknowledgement. “So do you know what’s going on?”</p><p>“What do you remember?” Tony shoots back, now carefully eyeing the unconscious man who by now has started to slightly wheeze, every breath sounding wet. </p><p>Luke opens his mouth to point out that <em> he </em> asked his question first, but before he can Tony says, “Just want to know your side of things first, kid.”</p><p>Luke rolls his eyes, but doesn’t argue. “Honestly, I don’t remember much. I was with my little brother. We come here sometimes, when Ma wants us out of the house. We were just walking around and killing time when suddenly this guy was there, grabbing at Daniel. I went after him and he hit me and… then I woke up here.”</p><p>Tony stares at him for a few long seconds as he absorbs his story, before he nods again. </p><p>“Your turn,” Luke says after a few moments of silence. He cocks his head in the direction of trenchcoat guy. “Who’s that?”</p><p>Any question Luke had about whether the man in the trenchcoat was good or bad is answered at the vicious expression on Tony’s face as he replies, “A smarmy, pompous jerk who doesn't deserve a second thought.”</p><p>Tony pulls tight on his bonds then, similar to how Luke had before, but just like for him there’s no give. After a few attempts that amount to nothing, he turns to Luke and says, “Do me a favor and try to pull your hands out of those, will you?”</p><p>“Already did, as hard as I could. Didn’t do anything.”</p><p>Tony doesn’t look happy at this, but neither does he look angry. He starts to look every which way, muttering, “Shit, okay. Okay, well. I guess I’ll just have to improvise.”</p><p>“Like MacGyver?”</p><p>Tony glances back at him, lips quirking up. “Yeah, something like that.” Sounding almost amused despite the seriousness of their situation, he adds, “So you like making old pop culture references too—shoulda figured.”</p><p>Luke’s brow furrows at the word <em> old </em>but he doesn’t ask Tony to explain, just says instead, “You still haven’t told me what’s going on, or how you got here.”</p><p>Tony stops glancing around and directs his attention back on Luke before he looks down at the floor.</p><p>“I was looking for my kid,” Tony replies, still staring at the old wooden planks, mouth twisting as he adds with a bite, “my kid who I thought was sticking his nose into shit I told him to stay away from, but as it turns out was drugged and kidnapped.” He glances back at Luke sheepishly. “Sorry for saying shit, kid.” A wince. “Twice.”</p><p>“I live in Brooklyn,” Luke says with a shrug, Tony nodding back as if that explains everything. “And what kind of shit?”</p><p>Tony hesitates. “A serial killer. Or well, that’s what we thought. In any case, I told the kid to leave it alone because the police could handle it. And, as it turned out, a lot of the men who were turning up dead weren’t up to anything good anyway. Ever heard of the TV show <em> Dexter </em>?”</p><p>Luke shakes his head. </p><p>“Well, it’s sort of like that. Or so I figured. Either way, not the kid’s purview.”</p><p>Luke’s brow furrows. “Why would it be his purview anyway? If he’s just a kid?”</p><p>Tony takes in a sharp breath. “He’s… not your regular kid. He can do things that other kids can’t. Anyway, when I heard from his aunt he was missing–”</p><p>“I thought you said he was your kid?”</p><p>“He’s my mentee, but… also more than that. We’re close.” Tony pauses. “I guess I’m sort of like a dad figure, even though neither of us would ever say as much.” The man sniffs, looking almost uncomfortable. “Anyway, when I tracked him down here, I was certain he’d come to look into the serial killer business. But as it turns out, that asshole over there—Otto—took him, and then got the drop on me too.”</p><p>Luke glances back at the trenchcoat man—who by now it’s obvious is dying—and feels a wave of rage pass through him. “Looks like he deserved what he got, then.”</p><p>When he looks back over at Tony he sees the man is staring at him curiously, head cocked. “Yeah, I guess he did. But unfortunately, we still need him alive. He’s the only one who knows for sure where my kid is right now.”</p><p>Just then Otto makes a weird noise in his throat, fingers starting to twitch.</p><p>Again the murderous look on Tony’s face is apparent, voice menacing as he calls out, “You back with us, Octavius? You better be. You’re gonna fix this, you sonuvabitch, you hear me?”</p><p>Otto just groans again, before haltingly twisting his head in Tony’s direction and slitting open his eyes. He coughs, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth.</p><p>In a low voice barely above a whisper Otto says, “Mis...ter… Mis’r S’ark?”</p><p>Luke watches as Tony’s face suddenly goes deathly pale. “Peter? <em> Peter?” </em></p><p>“I thought you said his name was Otto,” Luke says, but Tony doesn’t even seem to hear him, again calling out desperately for a Peter. </p><p>But Otto—or Peter, or whatever his name is—doesn’t reply, seemingly passing out again, breaths sounding even worse than before. Stilted and all wrong.</p><p>Tony suddenly whips his head back to Luke, expression stony. “Listen kid, I know this isn’t going to make any sense to you. But I need you to try to get out of those cuffs.”</p><p>“I told you, I already did,” Luke replies sullenly. “And anyway, they’re way too strong, I can’t–”</p><p>“You can!” Tony interjects forcefully, then clenching his jaw, “maybe. If they’re not vibranium, anyway. Could be adamantium, which is difficult but not impossible. Just, kid—<em>Luke</em>—please. Just try again.”</p><p>“But why?” Luke asks, with no small amount of irritation. The pounding in his head suddenly returns full-force and he closes his eyes, leaning his head back against the warehouse wall. “I said I already did, so why–”</p><p>“Because you’re not you right now!” Tony yells, only to bite his lip—closing his own eyes and taking slow deep breaths before opening them again and staring over at Otto/Peter/whoever with no small amount of concern. His expression is fierce when he turns back to Luke. “Because you’re not in your body, I mean. You’re in Peter’s—my kid’s. And <em> Peter </em>is in Otto’s.”</p><p>“What?” Luke replies, sputtering for a few seconds. “That’s—you’re insane. That's—that's <em>insane."</em></p><p>“But it’s the truth!” Tony argues back. “Just—kid, just look at yourself. Really <em> look </em>.”</p><p>“You’re crazy,” Luke mutters but he does as told, looking down. “You’re crazy, man, I’m telling you, you’re–”</p><p>He stops, staring at himself in shock. Because he’s not in the same red sweatshirt and black pants he’d been wearing this afternoon, when he left with Daniel for the old docks. Instead he’s in a white—albeit scuffed and muddy—t-shirt, and blue jeans. His high-top sneakers are also gone, replaced instead with an old pair of Converses that are definitely <em> not </em>his. On top of that, his legs look a good six inches shorter than normal, and his arms way more defined—nothing like the wiry body that his mom fondly nicknamed him “my sweet string bean” because of.</p><p>“What–” he starts to say, only to begin to tremble. “What the hell did you do? What the fuck, what the–”</p><p>Luke’s body—<em>no, not mine, not mine </em>—starts to shake harder, and it’s almost like it emanates outward, the entire building shaking along with it.</p><p>Luke glances up in complete horror at Tony who is looking around with an equally nervous gaze, before turning back to Luke and saying steadily, “Buddy, it’s okay. You just gotta calm down, and I’ll explain–”</p><p>“What is—what happened to me? What’s going on? Where’s my brother?!”</p><p>“Just listen for a second and try to calm down, okay?” Tony says placatingly. “Remember the serial killer I mentioned? Well, turns out it’s in fact not a serial killer—it’s a ghost.” Tony pauses, Adam’s apple bobbing as he carefully adds, “A ghost of a kid who if I had to guess, was murdered somewhere around here while protecting his little brother.”</p><p>“W-what?” Luke sputters. “What are you–”</p><p>“But this kid, he’s a good ghost. He only hurts people who are doing bad things, who want to hurt other kids.”</p><p>Luke shakes his head back and forth. “No, that’s, it’s not–”</p><p>“I swear, I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it,” Tony continues, “but this ghost kid, he showed up here just as Otto was trying to use that damn machine of his to switch bodies with Peter, and the ghost, he—he attacked Otto. Started to slash the shit out of him, in fact, all to—to protect Peter. To protect my kid.”</p><p>“Shut up, shut up, shut–”</p><p>“Luke,” Tony says over his pleas, “That ghost kid? That’s you, buddy. I know it’s hard to hear this, but that’s you. And I need you to understand that, and try to remember, and then I need you to try to get out of those shackles so we can put things right before Otto’s body dies with Peter inside of him.”</p><p>“No,” Luke says, the building trembling all the harder. He can hear another voice now too, in his head, screaming at him to <em> get out, get out, get out–  </em></p><p>“No, you get out!” he yells back at the voice.</p><p>“Kid? What’s going on? Talk to me, bud.”</p><p>“My head,” Luke mutters back, closing his eyes. “My head, it’s—it hurts, it’s like… like someone’s in here with me. Tony... <em> Tony.” </em></p><p>"Luke? Don’t go now, kid! Fight him!”</p><p>“It hurts,” Luke mumbles, then when the voice screaming in his head rises to a crescendo, adds through gritted teeth, “It <em> hurts. </em>Tony, please, make it stop, make it–”</p><p>Luke opens his eyes again but it’s like he’s looking at things through a telescope now, watching everything happen from far away. </p><p>Distantly he hears Tony beg, “Don’t let him out, kid! Don’t—don’t let Otto loose! Please, god, don’t–”</p><p>“‘M so tired,” Luke whispers, and even though he doesn't want to go—doesn’t want to leave Tony—he finds he can’t resist the pull of darkness, the voice in his head commanding him to <em> sleep </em> before everything goes black.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em> Luke is back in the alleyway. It’s darker than it had been when he’d come across Daniel being attacked, and nobody else is here.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Nobody, that is, but Luke and… Luke’s body. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He stands over himself, wanting to cry but not knowing how to in this form. What’s going on? What happened? And where is Daniel? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> God, he hopes Daniel is okay…. </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em> Days, then weeks, and months pass, and all the while Luke wanders the docks. Usually he’s alone in his wanderings, but sometimes he comes across people. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Most of the time they’re harmless, just looking for a quiet place to be. Or just some young kids, killing time away from the sharp eyes of adults, just like him and Daniel used to. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> But sometimes they’re bad too, and those ones Luke watches with a slowly growing anger...  </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Time becomes an ephemeral concept, something Luke can’t keep track of. He finds himself flickering in and out of the world. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Sometimes he knows who he is—what he is—but other times, his memory is fuzzy. He forgets about everything except the most important one. He’s supposed to be watching Daniel. Where’s Daniel? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Luke keeps searching and searching until he flickers out again… </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em> One day Luke flickers in just in time to see a man with a knife menacing two little girls. The rage grows and grows and suddenly Luke isn’t Luke anymore, not entirely. He’s in the man’s head, sees now all his nefarious intentions, what he plans to do. Luke holds the knife but instead of threatening the little kids he instead twists it around, and with a scream thrusts it into the man’s body. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Luke watches happily as the two girls run away, safe now. Safe like he hopes Daniel is too. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He flickers out again just as the man dies… </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em> Some time later—he doesn't know how long—Luke wanders the docks once more, looking for his brother. Where is Daniel? He’s supposed to watch Daniel. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He wanders until suddenly he comes across a bright light emanating from within one of the old warehouses. He blinks and suddenly he’s inside, watching as a man in a trenchcoat laughs at a kid—a teenager, maybe a year or two older than Daniel at most—who watches on with a dazed, terrified but somehow rebellious look on his face.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Both the boy and the man have some weird matching contraptions on their heads. It’s like something out of that new Star Trek TV show Daniel likes—Next Generation, his mind supplies—and even though Luke has no idea what it’s for, if the look of terror on the boy’s face is any indication, it’s bad. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> That’s all it takes for the rage to grow, Luke suddenly not entirely himself again as he inhabits the man in the trenchcoat, reading his mind and seeing into his twisted soul, certain now that he was right to want to stop him. This man wants to kill the teen and take his body for himself. He also plans to leave another man—Luke only just now seeing him slumped unconscious against the far wall—to die a slow, agonizing death from thirst. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Mind made up, Luke grabs at a knife that’s tucked in one of the coat pockets and uses it just like he knows now he has many times before on other twisted beings, even if he can’t actually remember them. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> But before he can flicker out, a giant burst of light and noise goes off, and the boy, Luke and the man in the trenchcoat all scream just as Luke feels a fierce tug on his soul and– </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Nothing, at least not until Luke blinks awake in a different body, shackled to a warehouse wall, memory once again wiped clean but for the last time he was with Daniel. </em>
</p><p><em> But right now Luke remembers, now he </em> sees. <em> And though the voice is there once again, demanding he go back to sleep—Luke knows he can’t, he won’t, because he still has to save the boy, has to save the shackled man, has to– </em></p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Luke blinks back to awareness outside, about thirty feet away from the warehouse door. He turns around, and he remembers, he remembers <em> everything– </em></p><p>He races back toward the warehouse, and even from outside the hearing he now recognizes to somehow be enhanced easily picks up on Otto’s body’s heartbeat. It’s slow, nearly gone, but he still has time, he still has <em> time. </em></p><p>In his head Otto screams, but Luke has him good and trapped now, and he’s not going to get out again, not going to get away with it. </p><p>He’s not going to hurt Peter, because Luke simply won’t allow it.</p><p>The look of confusion on Tony’s face—now wet with tears— when he spies Luke in the warehouse doorway would be comical if Luke had time to let himself think about it. He runs straight in Tony’s direction, Tony watching with his jaw dropped as Luke—somehow still retaining all of Otto’s memories—inputs the code to free him.</p><p>“Luke?”</p><p>“We don’t have much time,” Luke says in response. “But I know what to do—I know how to switch them back.”</p><p>To his credit Tony doesn’t ask for an explanation, just follows Luke over to where Otto—<em> Peter— </em>is splayed out, Tony going to his side and whispering something in his ear just as Luke reboots the large machine, the tentacles—called Octobots, he knows now—sparking back to life. He begins inputting commands, setting everything up to undo the damage Otto had wrought.</p><p>As soon as that’s done, he runs over to where he’d woken up shackled in Peter’s body, hastily putting on the dome-shaped helmet. He secures it to Peter’s head just as Tony double-checks the one still on Otto’s, then runs back over to the machine.</p><p>All that’s left now is to push the button to start the reversal in motion.</p><p>“Kid.”</p><p>Luke pauses just as he’s about to press, turning to look over at where Tony is standing next to Otto’s prone body, looking at him with an inscrutable expression. </p><p>“Kid, what’s gonna happen to–”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Luke replies honestly. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen to me.” He swallows hard. “Just. If you can—will you find my brother? And tell him… tell him I…”</p><p>“I understand, bud,” Tony says, another tear falling down his cheek. He swipes it away, sniffing once before looking back at Luke. “Thanks, kid. Just—thank you.”</p><p>Luke nods, then before either of them can say anything else, he presses the button.</p><p>Once again everything goes bright and loud, Luke closing his eyes as he feels the tug. Otto is still screaming but it’s too late, Luke stopped him, Luke saved Peter, Luke–</p><p>Flickers out.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em> Luke wanders. Where is Daniel? He’s supposed to be watching Daniel.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He hopes Daniel is okay. Where did he go? Why did Luke let go of his hand. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Daniel... Daniel? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> This is Luke’s fault. He’s supposed to– </em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Luke blinks and he’s back. He’s standing in the same alley he died in but this time when he wakes up, he’s not alone. </p><p>Near the mouth of the alley stands a man with dark hair and a goatee, wearing a suit and sunglasses. Next to him is a teenage boy, in jeans and a sweatshirt. They stare at Luke and Luke stares back, only to find it unusual they’re staring. Usually nobody can see him, nobody even notices him, so why–</p><p>“Luke?”</p><p>Luke turns at the sound of his name, only to see another man behind him, standing much closer than the others. He’s tall and lean, in his late thirties or thereabouts, with a smile that reminds Luke so much of his Ma but with bright blue eyes, eyes that are so familiar, eyes that can only belong to–</p><p>“Daniel?”</p><p>Daniel doesn’t respond but for a tiny sob, face screwing up as he looks down at the ground, only to swipe a hand over his eyes and glance back at Luke in awe.</p><p>“I-I thought they were yanking my chain, just messing with me when they said you were out here, but it’s really fuckin’ hard to say no to Iron Man, y’know?”</p><p>“Daniel,” Luke breathes out again, taking in the sight of his little-but-now-all-grown-up brother. “You… you got tall, dude.”</p><p>Daniel laughs, wiping at his eyes again and sniffling. “Yeah, I did. You’ve… you’ve been gone a long time, Lukey.”</p><p>“I’m just happy you’re really okay,” Luke says, then more forceful, “You are okay, right? You’re safe?”</p><p>Daniel nods. “I’m okay, thanks to you. You saved me, big brother.”</p><p>There’s a sudden change in the air then, like a pressure release. Luke feels the weight of decades of worry fall away from him, the constant feeling of being tethered to the damp rot of the abandoned docks gone.</p><p>Daniel is okay. Daniel is safe. </p><p>He doesn’t need Luke to stay here anymore, because Luke already saved him.</p><p>Luke looks back at the others—Tony and Peter, his memories now tell him—and waves. The two of them grin, Tony putting an arm around Peter’s shoulders as they both wave back.</p><p>He turns back to Daniel, who is wearing a sad but genuine smile on his face.</p><p>“I love you, Dan-Man,” Luke says to his brother.</p><p>“I love you too, Lukey,” his brother responds. </p><p>Luke closes his eyes and flickers out for the last time.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This story contains: child murder (offscreen), attempted kidnapping of children for reasons vaguely implied to be rape/noncon (nothing actually happens), and bodyswap.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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